[Press Release] : Fire causes evacuation of fraternity house at 500 College Ave.

[Press Releases]

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Contact: Battalion Chief Gary L. Warren Jr. - (573) 499-7035 

Fire causes evacuation of fraternity house at 500 College Ave.

COLUMBIA, MO (February 23, 2009) - Units of the Columbia Fire
Department responded to a fire alarm at 500 S. College Ave. around 8:41
p.m. Moments after units responded to the incident Public Service Joint
Communications (PSJC) upgraded the call to a commercial structure fire
based on information from a frantic caller who stated that there was a
fire.

As units arrived, the Sigma Chi fraternity house was being evacuated.
When firefighters got to the third floor they encountered smoke in the
hallway and heavy smoke and heat in room 305. Firefighters immediately
began overhaul and found smoldering debris above and below the window in
the southwest corner of the room where witnesses said they saw fire. A
small amount of water was used to completely extinguish the fire.

Domnic DeFao, a resident from room 306, first saw fire around the
windowsill as he was leaving his room when the fire alarm sounded. He
tried to put out the fire with a small amount of water but was unable to
do so. Shortly after, Dan Hager (as he was arriving back at the frat
house from St. Louis) grabbed an extinguisher from the first floor and
used it to knock down the flames before firefighters could arrive. 

The cause and origin of fire remain under investigation at this time
and the damage estimate has been set at approximately $5,000. There were
no injuries during this incident and 25-30 house members and guests were
evacuated for around one hour. Some of the members waited in Columbia
Fire Department’s Bus 76 during this time.

In May of 1999 the Columbia Fire Department responded to a fatality
fire at this same address. The fire was on the same floor of the
fraternity house. Neither of these incidents are related.

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